This Hello is Only Goodbye
by Varmint
Summary: Baki knew he would never get anywhere with his soulmates. And that was okay. He had grown up alone- he'd be fine living the rest of his life alone. He had his own life to live, responsibilities he could not shun. One-shot! Soulmate AU! Fourth in the 'This is How I Met My Soulmate' Collection. Ibiki/Baki/Anko rare pair!
1. Chapter 1

**_This Hello is Only Goodbye_**

 **Summary:** Baki _knew_ he would never get anywhere with his soulmates. One, the Head of T&I, was much too… well… _himself_ to ever possibly want to be with him. The other was much too… _herself_ to ever want to be tied down to someone like him. And that was okay. Baki had grown up alone- he'd be fine living the rest of his life alone. He had his own life to live, responsibilities he could not shun. Soulmates or not, he wasn't about to leave Suna.

~..~..~

 _When he had been born, it had been into a rather well accommodated and respected clan on the outskirts of Sunagakure. It had been a clan that had been known for being extremely proficient in the use of wind style ninjutsu and keeping their unique culture alive, even through years of wars that had threatened with wiping them out. The marks each member of his clan bore had represented their status within the clan itself and the colors had shown off what jobs they had been born to work in._

 _Baki couldn't remember what many of the colors had meant._ _Nor could he remember just how many colors were used or what kinds of designs were given to newborns. He could just remember that the red on his face resembled the courage and passion that every ninja needed within their hearts to be successful in their lives. And he knew that the curving fang marks on his face had allowed him to be marked as the sixth son of the Clan Head's right hand man, for there were six all around his face._

 _Now, Baki was the only survivor of his once prosperous clan._

 _He had been a mere four year old when they'd been wiped out by a raid from an opposing clan from further out in the desert. And he had only been spared because his brothers had hidden him and his older sister within a locked closet that could only be opened from the inside, which had been reinforced by seals that Baki still could not understand to this day._

 _Baki had watched as all four of his older brothers were slaughtered by insane cowards without being able to even cry. Because if he had cried, they would have known that he was there, and then he would have gotten killed too. And then his brothers' sacrifice would have been for nothing; their deaths would have been completely senseless._

 _He remembered that night so vividly he felt it was a curse. No matter how much he lived, no matter how much he saw, no matter how much he tried to forget, that was still the only real intact memory he held of his clan. The rest were snippets, fogged and clouded with age; mere flashes of the people he had once shared blood with._

 _After the slaughter had ceased and they had hidden within that closet for what had felt like a week, his sister had decided it was time to leave._

 _Under the cover of night, they had scrounged up what little they could that had not been covered by the blood of their clansmen. And then they had fled, running as fast as they had been able out of fear that the clan of savages would return to make sure there truly had been no survivors of the great massacre._

 _When they reached Suna, they were both severely dehydrated and malnourished. His sister was covered in more red than was healthy because she had used what little clothes they had been able to find to cover Baki up and keep him safe from the scorching sun._

 _Her great fear had been that Suna would turn them away for having been refugees. At that time, Suna wasn't too stable to speak of. They were trying to gain some sort of power within the hierarchy system that were the Hidden Villages. So their political issues were so pressing that she had thought they would not want them anywhere near Suna; they weren't truly members of the Hidden Village, just members of a clan that had aided every once in a while._

 _They had gotten lucky, though._

 _The moment they had reached the Village Gates, the Kazekage's wife and son had happened to walk in front of them, apparently on their usual weekend walk._

 _If it had not been for the chance meeting, Baki knew he and his sister would have been sent back to the desert to die._

 _The brown haired boy that had clung to his mother's hand as she raced towards him and his sister was named Rasa. And Baki would never forget how kind he had once been. Nor would he ever forget how horribly the pressure of his village had twisted his sanity._

 _The Kazekage had taken them in simply because his wife would not let the business lie. And then, when his sister had told him about the horrors the clan of savages had unleashed on their clansmen, he had just dismissed her and told her that the massacre had already occurred- nothing they did now would change that._

 _"_ _But, father… If they were able to wipe out their clan, wouldn't they be able to cause major damage to Suna? After all, these were some of our finest ninja."_

 _Rasa had always had a great mind for getting whatever he wanted._

 _After those words had struck a chord within the old man, the clan of savages had been hunted down like the criminals they had been._ _And those that had not surrender to Suna were executed, much too mercilessly, in Baki's mind. The children, though, had been spared and sent to Suna's orphanages so they could be trained to become proper ninja_

 _A couple of weeks after the clan of savages had been dealt with, Baki's sister died. She had been horribly affected by the unprotected trek across the desert, just as she'd been decimated by the death of her whole clan. Baki had once heard the Kazekage and his wife whispering about how what had killed her had not been a physical ailment, but an emotional one. And the only thought that brought him any solace whenever he thought about the wonderful soul that had been lost because of disgusting brutes was that at least she had not had to suffer through a life without her clan or soulmate for too long._

 _Soon after he'd been legally adopted by the Kazekage and became Rasa's brother, Baki was taught the first lesson he would never forget under the Kazekage's tutelage._

 _"_ _Soul marks are not to be shown off. Find a way to cover it up."_

 _Baki was different. His clan had not cared. The Kazekage had, though. And the person he would strive to make proud for the rest of his life was the man that had never even wanted him._

 _Not only was one soul mark long enough that it reached just below his eye; it began where the second one ended._

 _Baki had two soulmates._

 _On his back, just reaching his right shoulder, was a roaring bear. Surrounding the bear was what Baki could only describe as a long snake with its tail wrapped around the large animal's arm. Its body then ran up to his bicep, reached to his neck, and finally ended below his eye. Unlike Kankuro's snake, it was much bigger and did not look nearly as terrifying. If anything, it looked mischievous._

 _While the bear was easily hidden, the snake was not. And the Kazekage refused to have any one related to him- even if just by legal matters- to have his soul mark seen by anybody but himself and his soulmates._

 _To hide it, the Kazekage's wife offered the headdress Baki still wore to this day._

* * *

Baki wasn't the kind of person to rely on hopes and dreams when the going got tough. Instead, he was the kind of person that would think logically about many of the things that were happening around him to try and find the best solution to the problem or problems he faced.

This reasonable approach was exactly what he would be using to deal the problem he had met.

Just as Kankuro and Temari had found their soulmates, Baki had met one of his own.

Ibiki Morino. The most terrifying interrogator to ever have lived; the only person to ever survive the torture given to him by the monsters that had slaughtered hundreds through the very methods Morino had survived; the one man Lord Rasa had insisted Baki should _run from_ if ever they met on the battlefield… His soulmate.

Well… It made sense that Baki would wind up with a dangerous soulmate. His life had not been filled with extremely _pleasant_ ordeals… It would only be odd if the situation with his soulmate was even moderately easy. Which it clearly wouldn't be: he had _two_. One soulmate from Konoha made his situation difficult enough, not even counting who the man happened to be. Having _two_ just made sure that Baki's extremely difficult life would continue being borderline disastrous.

"You're my soulmate."

Baki raised his chin slightly, a small movement that was enough like a nod to allow Ibiki to know that he, indeed, was the man's soulmate.

The scarred man's eyes were narrowed, looking him up and down with an analytically closed off look on his face that made Baki immediately lament this being his soulmate.

They would never work out. Not even as friends. Baki enjoyed silence, hard work, and not being annoyed. Ibiki looked like the kind of person that enjoyed those very things, but he was a sadist. And, from the way he was looking him over; he was full of pride within himself. Baki didn't like egos that were too big. And Ibiki's must be one of the biggest ones around- how could it not be? He was _the_ boogeyman most parents warned their kids about whenever they spoke about not getting captured by a ninja from Konoha.

Baki didn't have much of a right to think like this of Ibiki's reputation, though. Not with the one he proudly wore as if it were a badge of honor.

In his mind, it _was_ a bad to truly be proud of. The reputation he had was unpleasant and spoke of him being much crueler than he truly was. But it kept people from other Hidden Villages fearing him. And if ninja from other Villages feared him, then they feared Suna. And that ensured his own home's protection.

He only put up with Lord Rasa's overbearing and dominating (tragically damning) pride because he'd known the man since they had been children. Attitudes from other people were attitudes he did _not_ deal with.

Baki allowed himself to be stared at for a couple more seconds. Then he bowed and straightened up, "It was an honor to meet you. But, if you'll excuse me, I must go."

His students were leaving without him. Kankuro was walking away with the proctor of the semi-finals; Gaara and Temari were making their way to their respective soulmates.

Lord Rasa wouldn't be happy to hear that _all_ of his kids had soulmates from Konoha. The man may believe that soulmates were supposed to be together, but he certainly would not be happy with losing all of his children. Or, worse yet, having to accept foreigners into his land just to keep his children happy.

"They seem busy…" He quirked an eyebrow as Ibiki's eyes roamed over the scene behind Baki, which made the man wonder just where he might be going. "Don't want to meet your other soulmate?"

If he had two soulmates, then it was likely that he shared another with this man. One explanation his First Lady had given him was that he had two different soulmates, although they didn't have to be soulmates with one another. Another, though, was that they would all share each other.

If both his soulmates were from Konoha, then there was no doubt in Baki's mind: He would not be able to pursue any sort of relationship with them.

Soulmates from different Villages worked out when one was willing to leave behind the home they had always known for the sake of their relationship. Undoubtedly, Kankuro would be packing his bags as quickly as he could to take up residence with the Sannin that happened to be his other half. Temari, though… well, whoever it was that was her soulmate must have been prepared to leave Konoha behind. He wasn't sure just what Gaara might choose to do if he actually wanted to pursue a relationship with the pink haired girl he had met some time ago.

But Baki already had a life created in the Hidden Sand. Just like Ibiki had in the Hidden Leaf. And, even though he had not met the last third that made up their whole, Baki was sure that it was another person in the Leaf that had most probably already built a life with Ibiki. Clearly, Ibiki already knew their soulmate. Baki had been the last one to be found.

With a soft shrug, Baki looked away to make sure Temari and Gaara were both playing nice. Kankuro was gone with the Snake Sannin and Baki seriously doubted the kid would be going back to the Sand if he already trusted the man enough to _leave_ with him.

"Not like anything will change." He admitted nonchalantly, "Not all soulmates wind up together."

Lord Rasa would never let him go. Not after everything they had been through together. Not with the amount of stability and help Baki offered the man as his Village continued to crumble beneath his feet.

"That's a rather pessimistic opinion to have when you haven't even met your soulmates."

Crossing his arms over his broad chest, Baki frowned softly at the man. "Just a thought."

Ibiki's own frown mirrored Baki's much too perfectly.

How could _this_ be his soulmate? Weren't soulmates supposed to be perfect opposites of one another to make a whole?

"Wouldn't hurt to meet us; at least, not physically. Who knows what sort of emotional trauma you wind up with?" Ibiki shrugged after a while, and then smirked softly, "Just a thought."

Baki felt like it truly wouldn't hurt to meet his second soulmate. His connection with Ibiki wasn't anywhere near strong enough to make him want anything with the man. He hadn't even felt a single thing when his eyes had fallen on the man other than one small jolt as his heart skipped minutely. The skip had been enough to let him know Ibiki was, indeed, his soulmate. But nothing else had been felt.

The question was odd. But slightly amusing. What sort of insanity did Ibiki hold within to think he could actually traumatize a seasoned jonin like him?

Baki looked over at Temari and Gaara and found them talking complacently with their respective soulmates.

Huh… Baki would never have thought Temari would wind up with an Akimichi.

"Let me tell my kids."

* * *

 _Baki had loved Rasa's mother as if she were his own. And he had loved Rasa like the older brother Rasa had always wanted to be. He had not loved through his physical means, though. He had only hugged his Lady once, when she had gifted him his very first headdress. And he had allowed Rasa to hug him, play with him, and teach him whatever it was that he had wanted, but he had never sought after him. If Rasa came to him, he would not shy away. But he had never sought the older male out._

 _He had respected and feared the Kazekage; not loved him. Fear and anxiety always threatened to consume him whenever the domineering man was around. This had been because he had known that if he hadn't impressed the man, he could have been thrown out of the Village without even the prospect of a fair trial._

 _A small voice in the back of his mind had always tried to remind him of his Lady's love and kindness. It had also whispered of the brotherly bond he had forged with his Lord's son- these two would never allow him to be exiled from his new home. But Baki had never listened to that voice. He had already lost one home. What would stop him from losing yet another?_

 _He hadn't wanted to lose his place in Suna. It was a high position, being the Kazekage's favored runt. Many had hated him for having come from the outside and having waltzed into such a sought after position. Because many had hated him, many had tried to make him seem like a failure in the Kazekage's eyes._

 _All those that had hated him had wanted to see him screw up and anger the Kazekage to a point that he was executed._

 _Baki forced himself to become indispensable to his Village because of this._

 _He couldn't become yet another ninja- the Kazekage didn't need more soldiers that were prone to human error; he had enough of those. No, the Kazekage had needed a competent killing machine that never questioned any of his orders._

 _The villagers had wanted to see him break down and fail the brutal training set before him. They had wanted to see him scream and cry in front of them, begging to be released from the arduous work he was forced to do as a child._

 _Baki had wanted to see them swallow their pride._

 _Much to the chagrin of all those that hated him, he had risen to become just what he had known the Kazekage would need. Much to the woe of his Lady, he became a child killer that never hesitated to murder. Much to the pride of his Lord, he became the best weapon he could have ever asked for._

 _He had not needed any kind of desensitization process to squash human feelings when on a mission. He had learned how to keep his emotions bottled up when he'd witnessed the brutal massacre that had ended his clan. He'd been forced to ignore his grief when he and his sister had trekked through perilous terrain without even a moment to mourn the fallen. Forcing his tears to die before they had even formed when his sister had finally allowed herself to leave him alone in the world had merely been second nature to him._

 _Unlike many that he had heard of that had grown calloused through torture and harsh teachings when they were children, Baki had willingly opted to spurn his humanity to become a merciless killing machine._

* * *

Ibiki led him deep into Konoha; into a place he had called the Jounin Section of the Village. Here there were countless of apartments, shops, and eateries run by retired ninja. They offered their services exclusively to active shinobi, seeing how these weren't regular clientele that barely made waves.

Quite frankly, this idea of a part of the Village being exclusively for active ninja sounded rather great. When it came to housing, it meant that ninja always had someone they could rely on whenever they left the Village on their missions. And when it came to the rest of the services, they dealt with people that understood their plights and needs, so there was no need to explain themselves like they would normally have to when buying from civilians.

Baki was taken to a large apartment at the top of one of the priciest looking buildings in the district. Its space was vast and filled with only a couple of key pieces of furniture. There was a hallway to the right side, hidden behind the wall it cut through, and Baki could see a trail of papers that begun in front of it.

Everything within the space was ordered and neat, aside from those few papers.

Once he had finished looking over the space, Baki turned to look at Ibiki.

"How long?"

Ibiki looked down at his watch, over at the door that had just closed behind them, and took one step back.

He received no answer.

He should have known that was enough of an answer.

"Ah! My second soulmate!"

Baki was caught off guard when a blur of purple and brown suddenly broke through the door that was behind him and latched onto him. But when he looked down, he found that he wasn't being attacked. Instead he was being hugged tightly by a purple haired woman.

"Finally! Now we can get serious about our lives, Biki!"

Baki quirked an eyebrow at what he presumed to be Ibiki's nickname, then looked over at the man.

Were they both delusional enough to believe that he would be going anywhere with them?

It was rather amusing that they actually thought this, really.

"Hello. I'm Baki." He offered her his hand, only for it to get slapped away and for eager arms to wrap around his waist.

"No need to be formal! You're the last third of my soul and I'm finally happy I found you!"

"Technically, I found him." Ibiki cleared his throat softly, which caused the woman currently hugging Baki to turn a vicious glare at him.

"Semantics don't matter, smart ass."

The woman then began to gush over everything they would now be able to do because their souls would finally be together.

Baki allowed her to run her mouth without trying to stop her. Eventually, he would be able to get a word in. And when he did, he would let them both down.

Soulmates or not, Baki's allegiance was to the Hidden Sand. And nothing would ever change that.

* * *

 _Training to become a weapon rather than a human had been shockingly easy for him. Baki loved hard work and reveled in doing a job right. The job he would be entering had very few specifications for his mental state: To be unemotional. And he could do that beautifully. Unlike many, preparing himself mentally had taken little to no preparation._

 _The only thing that truly gave him any trouble was molding his body to what was physically required. But he had learned from the murder of his clan that he never wanted to be the weaker of enemies. With that idea in mind, keeping up with the rigorous schedule the Kazekage had created especially for him had not been rather difficult._

 _It had been so easy for him to prepare himself for the life a shinobi, actually, that he had become a genin by the age of eight. Coincidentally enough, it was at that time that Rasa graduated the Academy. In the Kazekage's mind, this must have been an opportunity he could not have allowed to pass him by._

 _Both of the Kazekage's sons had been placed on the same genin team. Their Jounin Teacher was one of the greatest puppet masters to have ever lived- Sasori of the Red Sands. And their final teammate was the kunoichi- the soulmate-that would go on to marry Rasa and give him the three children he would never truly be able to understand._

 _(A woman that would come to lose herself because of her Village's damned pride.)_

 _Sasori-Sensei had drilled the importance of completing a mission into them from the very beginning. Team work was essential and loyalty to one another was important- but those never took center stage in his teachings. He did not care how they did it; if they wound up killing each other or leaving one of their own behind; as long as the mission was successfully completed._

 _It had been easy for Baki to internalize this. He had already resolved himself to becoming an indispensable weapon, completing the mission was necessary for him to do this. So, while Rasa and Karura had struggled to work together and cover up one another's weaknesses, Baki avoided ever exposing his weaknesses. During training exercises where their objective was to run a gauntlet and get to the other side, Rasa and Karura worked together and Baki went in alone- those two would always win at first._

 _Sasori-Sensei caught on to their strategies early on, though. And soon enough, the gauntlets became almost impossible to complete in pairs. Baki began to win because of his sole objective- to finish- while Karura and Rasa fell behind- they refused to ever leave a teammate behind; damned, stubborn, fools._

 _Rasa grew angered with their teacher and crowed about the need for teamwork. He had never grown angered with Baki, though. He had just tried his best to drill the need to keep teammates protected into him._

 _His labors bore fruit._

 _Even though Baki never allowed Sasori Sensei or the Kazekage to see how he constantly watched his teammates' backs, he never allowed them out of his sight. Those two, although strong and capable in their own rights, had the same fallacy most others had- they were human. They allowed their emotions to get the better of them, allowed their weaknesses to overwhelm them at the worst given moment._

 _Baki had loved them both._

 _Even if it brought him great injury, Baki had made sure Rasa and Karura returned home and the mission had been completed successfully. At the cost of his body, Baki had ensured the completion of their mission and the safety of those two that had grown to matter to him._

 _Their team still held the record for the most successful mission completed by a genin team. He was sure that, eventually, someone would be able to break this._

 _Baki still held the record for the most injuries sustained by any ninja on a successful S-Ranked mission. He highly doubted anyone would ever manage to break this._

* * *

Baki had never spent much time thinking about his soulmates. He had been too busy becoming a killing machine to ever stop and think about such useless things.

What use did soulmates have for him? Soulmates were other humans that felt emotions and faltered because of them. All they would truly be able to do for him was drag him back into a spectrum of humanity that he didn't want to go back into.

He hadn't allowed himself to be affected by his feelings since he was four. He didn't need to feel again.

"You haven't even told him your name, woman."

Baki's face remained emotionless as the woman gasped and her arms left him. But then he found those very arms wrapping around his neck as she plastered herself into his side once again.

"You're so right, Biki! Baki, my name's Anko Mitarashi and you're a better soulmate than Ibiki! He's mean."

It was rather childish, the way she stuck her tongue out at Ibiki. But Baki was used to dealing with Kankuro and Temari arguing with one another, so he wasn't too bothered by the display of immaturity.

Now that he thought about, if Kankuro chose to live with his soulmate, he would never have to deal with their petty arguments…

Shame. He enjoyed having Kankuro around; he even had a soft spot for the middle child. But it was just the way life would go; Kankuro would leave behind the home he had always hated and Baki would stay in the only home he would ever need.

"Anyway, it's pretty freaking awesome to find out that the Specter of the Sand's my soulmate. One's an interrogation beast and the other is a world renowned shinobi! I'm the luckiest kunoichi around! My soulmates are badasses!"

Baki had heard of Anko Mitarashi before. What she had left without saying was her own degree of legendary status among the Hidden Villages; which might make sense. Ibiki may be a sadist and Baki may be an unrepentant killer, but Anko's own reputation could make even Baki worry slightly about how he would have to go about taking her down, for he knew that she could kill him if she put her mind to it.

Not that he would hesitate to end her. If he had to, he would kill both of these Leaf Ninja without a second thought. Soulmates or not, orders were orders. And he _always_ followed orders.

"Baki, would you like something to eat?" Ibiki questioned as he cleared his throat, clearly trying to capture Anko's attention.

But the woman was rubbing her cheek against his chest, apparently unbothered by the fact that he had yet to move a single inch.

"I would not mind eating." Baki answered neutrally, giving the man an unbothered look.

It wasn't difficult to figure out that Ibiki was somewhat worried over Anko's actions. But Baki was not bothered at all by what she was doing. She had most probably grown up dreaming about who her soulmates would be; she had most probably spent nights longing and wishing to finally meet them both.

It was a shame she had wound up with a soulmate like him.

* * *

 _When the Kazekage's wife died, even his Lord cried. There was no dry eye during the funeral procession… Except for Baki's own pair._

 _It was not because he felt nothing. Oh, he had felt more than enough. He had wanted to cry and scream for the woman that he had allowed to enter his heart as if she were his own mother. But he had not cried at all. Because weapons didn't show emotions. Weapons didn't cry._

 _He had been the one trusted with hunting down the bastard that had poisoned the wonderful woman. It had needed to be someone that would kill the kunoichi from Konoha that had dared poison Baki's Lady without making a single ripple in the world. Alliances were unstable and the Sand had not been able to afford to be the spark to light the powder keg- they were still too weak and small to start any fights at that time._

 _His Lord had needed someone that would die if it was necessary to ensure the Sand's involvement in the kunoichi's death was never found out. He had needed the weapon he had quietly been crafting throughout years of watching over both of his sons._

 _Rasa had been contemplated for just a second. But he was much too stricken by his mother's death to be competent in the mission. He would have been too violent- he would have committed a mistake because of his anger._

 _It had been an honor for Baki to obliterate everything the kunoichi had ever been._

* * *

By the time they had finished eating, Anko had yet to finish talking about the wonderful future they would all be living together.

Baki had not been able to catch everything, but some of the snatches he had managed to hear had been somewhat baffling. How could a woman as terrifying as Orochimaru's most known student ever possibly think she would be able to grow old with her soulmates? How could she expect to have children and grandchildren, along with cats, dogs, and snakes, if she would undoubtedly be killed by a smart adversary that needed to get rid of her so Konoha would lose the pillar she was? How could she ever even think about having kids when there was no doubt about them getting targeted by her enemies to get back at her?

He finally decided to intervene when she began to speak about writing a letter to his Kazekage to ask him if Baki could be transferred to the Hidden Leaf.

Admittedly, he felt insulted over someone assuming that he would leave his life in the Sand just because he had found his soulmates. But he didn't comment on this.

"There is no need for that."

Anko froze and, unlike the rest of their encounter, actually spent a couple of seconds in silence. But then she perked up with a smile, "You're right! I'll ask the Hokage to move on out with you. Ibiki'll need more time, seeing how he's the Head of T&I an' all, but eventually he'll be able to move with us too."

Ibiki's eyes narrowed at this and he looked as if he was ready to reprimand the woman. But Baki merely shook his head.

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but there'll be no moving."

Both of them looked at him with twin looks of utter confusion.

"What? But… How're we supposed to get to know each other if none of us is together?"

"You two can get to know each other." Baki shrugged softly, crossing his arms over his chest. "But I won't be part of this. You two may be my soulmates, but that means nothing to me. Knowing or not knowing you won't change a single thing. I'll still be a jonin of Sunagakure and you two will still be allied with Konohagakure. We are allies, but there is nothing more to it."

The stunned silence that settled over them was thick.

"Thank you for the food." He stood up, bowed at them both, and began to walk out of the dining room and over to the entrance of the apartment.

It was as he walked that he suddenly found the woman latching onto him once more.

"You can't leave us, Baki! You just got here!"

Baki breathed in to center himself then looked down at the woman. "Please, let go of me."

"No! I'm not letting you go! You're my soulmate! I'm not letting you go just because of some stupid land separation! Like I said, I'm willing to-"

"There is no discussion over living arrangements," Baki interrupted harshly, glaring at the woman that held onto his right arm, "I am truly sorry that you wound up with a soulmate like me; I know you think that you would have lived a good life with someone, but I am _not_ that someone."

"Baki."

Ibiki walked up to them both with an unreadable expression on his face. His eyes were harsh and cold, but Baki knew it was merely a mask to keep his emotions from being seen.

"All three of us are soulmates. We're _meant_ to be together; to some degree."

Baki knew this. He knew that soulmates were supposed to wind up together at some point. But he just couldn't see himself ever forging any sort of relationship with these two. Hell, it had been difficult to create any sort of relationship with Lord Rasa's children. And he'd watched them grow up before his very eyes. How could he be expected to create anything with two extremely dangerous interrogators from a Village that could be Suna's enemy at the drop of a hat?

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but nothing is going to happen between us." He reiterated coldly, "I've learned how to say goodbye. It's time you both do."

Slowly, the woman's arms unwrapped from around his own. And Baki took this chance to step away from her and shake some feeling back into the appendage, "Baki… Soulmates weren't created to be rejected… They weren't created to hurt one another-"

"Humans always hurt each other." The Jounin from the Sand quickly cut in, ignoring the pang of pain that suddenly (unexpectedly) hit him when he saw the woman's light brown eyes widening in shock. "I'm not going to enter into some sort of relationship with two interrogators from the Hidden Leaf. I'm not going to abandon my duties because you two happen to live here." He raised his eyes to glare directly into Ibiki's harsh blacks, "Just because I have soulmates, it does not mean I am going to leave my life to start a new one with you. I've got responsibilities and a duty to fulfill. The sooner you understand nothing will happen between us, the sooner you will be able to say goodbye."

"So, what?" Anko's voice was filled with heart, her eyes shining of tears, "We finally meet you after years of anticipation and you just turn around and say goodbye?"

Baki looked her in the eyes and took in the unbelievable amount of pain within them. Then he looked at Ibiki's own, which were much more guarded than Anko's own, but still held an ounce of emotions.

He felt nothing for this. Nothing. The small wave of _something_ that wanted to hit him was merely unease over being stuck deep inside Konoha without any true form of retreat in case anything went wrong.

"Yes." He turned around and opened the door behind him, "Just think about it this way: you have each other as soulmates. Whoever decided we should all be soulmates must have seen how I would never be part of anything. They must have given you each other to make up for this."

* * *

 _The night Lady Karura almost died was the night Baki lost the last two people he would ever willingly allow into his heart._

 _The Kazekage had been dead for years now, murdered during the last War. Lord Rasa had earned his rightful place as his successor and Baki continued to mold himself into the Kazekage's most trusted weapon._

 _Coincidentally, it was also the night Gaara was forced into a role only Baki could truly fill, and the Kazekage's family fractured._

 _Baki had allowed only a handful of people into his heart at that point. They had all died; if not in body, then in spirit. Lady Karura no longer smiled at her soulmate and Lord Rasa hardened his heart to a point that the only person he truly trusted with what little was left of it was Baki- his only brother._

 _Baki was his favored tool for keeping control of his Village and its enemies. After all, who wouldn't be afraid of a man considered to be the most heartless and ruthless shinobi to ever have been born in the Sand? Who would not be scared of a weapon known to kill indiscriminately as long as his mission asked for it? Who would not fear a killer that was not afraid of dying as long as he took his enemies with him? Who would not tremble at the very mention of a monster that had slaughtered a whole town simply because they had tried to begin trading with their enemies?_

 _(What was not known about that town was that they were separatists that were breeding their children to become weapons like him. Lord Rasa's father had ordered him; and only him; to deal with that town because he had known that Baki would not hesitate to kill a child. Others would have, though. And that would have cost their lives.)_

 _As Sasori-Sensei had once said, "Who would not be afraid of the only student of mine to truly make me worry for my life?"_

 _If even Sasori-Sensei had worried Baki was capable of killing him if he was instructed, there truly was a reason for everyone else that held no true connection with him to be scared._

 _The only reason he was pulled from active duty and tasked with teaching Lord Rasa's children was because the man didn't trust anybody else with the weapon he himself was molding._

 _Every Kazekage needed a heartless weapon that would never question their orders. Gaara had been chosen. Baki had never agreed with creating another weapon; wasn't he already enough?_

 _He had never told his Second Lord that the question had appeared in his mind..._

 _After all, who better to teach Gaara how to become the weapon of mass destruction his Village needed him to be other than the man that had never shed a single tear?_

 _… … …_

 _When Lord Rasa had seen the way in which his youngest chose to save his siblings rather than complete his objective, he found out that Baki's ruthlessness could never be copied._

 _Baki found out, in turn, that his heart still beat, frozen and calloused as it may have been… And it refused him to allow another to ever be like him._

* * *

When he returned to Suna, it was with three reluctant, petulant, unbelievably annoying genin bothering him the whole goddamn time.

My soulmate this and my soulmate that. All they wanted to talk about was their soulmates; compare them to one another, figure out which one was the strongest, which one was the nicest, which one cooked the best… Quite frankly, it annoyed Baki to have to hear so much about soulmates when he had just rejected his own. But he kept his thoughts to himself and allowed the children to bicker among one another.

(The strongest was Orochimaru; there was no way to compete against him; and the best cook was the Akimichi that happened to be Temari's soulmate. But none of them were able to come to come to a consensus over who was nicest; apparently, all the newly found soulmates were unbelievably kind.)

(Ibiki and Anko had been nice enough, albeit delusional. But Baki refused to think about them.)

During the family dinner Baki was asked to take part in, the genin all informed their parents about the soulmates they had recently found.

Baki didn't miss the surprise and relief that came over Lord Rasa as Kankuro informed him about the Sannin that had offered to take him in and take over the rest of his education. Nor did he miss the soft smile that came over Lady Karura's lips as Gaara and Temari told them they would like to return to Konoha as soon as they had earned the trip so they would be able to see their soulmates.

No decisions on soulmates were made during the dinner. Lord Rasa and Lady Karura promised their children that they would talk about the matter and come to a decision later on.

It was the nicest dinner Baki had been a part of in a while.

After the children had bounced up to bed and the servants had cleaned up the table, Baki had been left with his Lord and Lady to discuss their children's progress.

He informed them about the success that had been the first phases of the Chunin Exams, but regretfully admitted that only genin that was truly ready to be promoted to chunin was Gaara because of the restraint he had showed when dealing with his opponents. None of them had won their Final Rounds, though, so they were still to be held back as genin.

Lord Rasa nodded wisely at this, and then said that his children would undoubtedly be ready to be promoted by the next Chunin Exams. Until then, though, they would continue working and learning together.

This verdict had been enough to let Baki know that, no matter what Kankuro might ask for, he would _not_ be sent to Konoha to live full time with his soulmate.

"But, Baki…" When Lady Karura spoke up, in a voice so soft and quiet that Baki found himself wishing to kill any that had ever even _thought_ about harming her, he turned to look at her in question. "What about your own soulmates?"

His Lord and Lady both knew about his anomaly. They had never judged him for it, though, and Baki was grateful for this.

"I met them." He informed them, but soon shrugged. "But nothing is to happen. They are both established and well known jonin from Konoha."

He was not prepared for the tears that sprung up into Lady Karura's eyes.

"You don't understand, Baki…" She breathed out as she suddenly and harshly stood up from her seat with a force he'd never have thought she possessed, "I told you this, Rasa. Now look what he has done. He's rejected his own soulmates!"

Baki had no idea where the sudden outburst had come from. Just like he didn't know why Lord Rasa breathed out harshly; eyes closed while his fingers pinched the bridge of his nose with frustration shown clear on his face.

"Please, Karura…"

"Deal with the mess your father created. And deal with it _now_."

Lady Karura was gone before Baki could even ask what she had meant when she'd mentioned Baki's first Lord.

Minutes passed. Baki remained seated, truly caught off guard by the sudden spectacle from Lady Karura. And Lord Rasa just sat there, breathing in and out with his shut tightly.

"Baki… Come with me."

Baki didn't hesitate when Lord Rasa stood up. He followed after the man without a single question; he'd never been the kind to question any order given to him- why would he start now?

They walked up the stairs of his home, past the man's marital chamber- Karura was not there, Baki noted with complete confusion-, and out into his balcony. There Baki took his rightful place by the door, standing with his shoulders straight and his senses alert. Lord Rasa walked over to the edge of the balcony, placing his arms over the railing of the fencing that sprouted from the floor beneath them.

The night was calm and quiet, with a couple of stars shining and a bright, full moon standing like a stalwart watcher. It was cloudy, though, and many stars were obscured because of this.

Lord Rasa thought about his words for a couple of minutes. And when he finally spoke, it was with nothing but pure honesty.

"Baki… I never assigned my children to you so Gaara could learn to be like you."

As soon as he heard this, Baki felt all of the air leave his body. But he remained composed, refusing to allow himself to show how truly caught off guard he had been.

"I wanted someone I could trust with my children." The older male breathed out as he kept his gaze up on the full moon, hands holding on tightly to the railing on the balcony. "The Council wanted Gaara to believe in a past similar to yours. I know you wouldn't know this; I've kept it from you for a reason… But, Baki, they wanted to use Genjutsu on my child to make him believe he came from a clan that had been completely wiped out to then be adopted by the Kazekage."

Baki found it hard to believe these words. But Lord Rasa would never lie to him… He'd never lied be- that wasn't right… He _had_ lied. He'd kept all of this from him. But he must have kept this from him for _a reason_. Lord Rasa wasn't the kind to lie simply because he wanted to acquire some amusement.

"They wanted to create another Baki. You are such an efficient shinobi- the best weapon Suna has against many of your enemies. And they believed that the only true way to acquire another you was by copying your past."

With a heavy sigh, the man turned to look at Baki. His dark eyes weren't as hard as Baki had known his first Lord's to be. Instead they were soft, filled with emotions… Lord Rasa had always found it hard to separate himself from those troublesome things.

"I wanted you to teach my children so that they would learn from you every single skill you excel in. You are one of our greatest assets for a reason… But I did not want any of them to learn how to suppress their emotions as you do. In reality, I wanted you to grow to care for them as your own so you could finally allow _someone_ into your heart."

The more he spoke, the less Baki liked what he heard.

Was this man _judging_ him? After all of the hard work he'd ever put- No. He couldn't think like that. This was his Kazekage. He wasn't to be questioned. He was only to be listened to. Baki had to remember this. He had to internalize it once more. It was hard, though. Much harder than it should have been.

Baki's jaw was tensed and he felt like he might have just broken a tooth from all of the pressure he was forcing on his mouth. But he refused to allow himself to show even a fraction of the emotions he was feeling- was this how bitter being lied to tasted?

"I thought you had learned. Brother, I thought you had learned."

When Lord Rasa moved to put his hands on him, Baki didn't stop him. Rasa, though, stopped himself with a disappointed sigh.

"Baki, this isn't healthy. I know you don't want me to touch you. I know you're angry. Why don't you let it out?"

Forming words was difficult. Untensing his jaw was even harder. But eventually Baki managed to speak his thought, "Because you're my Kazekage. I won't disrespect you."

 _There_ it was. There was the harshness within his Second Lord's eyes that he had become acclimated to because of his First Lord.

"Baki, you stupid son of a bitch." Rasa grabbed him harshly by the shoulders, glaring straight into his only visible eye. "You're my _brother_. I'm not going to punish you for going against my word!"

Baki didn't answer him.

How could he tell the man that, no matter what he said, words were mere words that didn't necessarily dictate consequent actions? He couldn't tell him this. The man would undoubtedly feel insulted.

With a growl, Lord Rasa pushed him back and stormed back to his previous spot gazing up at the sky.

"I'm not a young man anymore, Baki. Karura strains herself so much already… We cannot keep up with this façade."

Baki wanted to know what façade the man was talking about. But he merely shifted back into proper stance by the doorway. A good weapon didn't question its master.

"You're a stubborn one… I've always known that, so I don't know why I'm so annoyed with you right now." He chuckled humorlessly now, "Baki, Karura and I's marriage is strong. We love one another so much it hurts me to see her having to frown whenever you are around."

"Then why does she frown?" Baki questioned before he could stop himself, only to find Rasa's hands tightening around the railing.

"Because she wants me to force you into retirement! Because Karura believes that, once I free you from your duty as a ninja, you will finally be able to become a human!"

Rasa's shout was harsh and irritated.

Baki looked down at the floor in confusion.

Finally become a human? Force him into retirement? Just how badly did Lady Karura understand him? Did she understand him at all?

Baki _didn't_ want to retire. His whole life, he'd taught himself how to forgo useless emotions and never allow human error to take over him. His whole life, he had prepared himself for the harsh reality that he would die in the field, following his Lord's orders.

How could Karura ever want him to retire? Why would she ever want to take this away from him? It was _literally_ what he had been born to do.

"You are one of the few things we truly argue over, Baki…" Rasa sighed, voice losing its harshness, "Our children's upbringing is another, but you've done such a good job of keeping them human that Karura barely fights with me about it… Brother, she has worried for your well being ever since we were genin. She is terrified of one day finding out you have been killed in the field."

"That is an honor, Lord Rasa. For a ninja to die in battle-"

"I am _not_ Lord Rasa to you." Rasa suddenly growled, turning back to him with a harsh glare. "I am your _brother_ , Baki! Why can you not understand that you're not some emotionless sentinel? Why do you insist on keeping me at an arms' length?"

"Because my duty is not to be human, Lord Rasa." Baki answered back cruelly, eyes narrowing as well, "My duty is to be the weapon my Village needs me to be. My duty is to destroy those that threaten my home."

Anger bubbled up within him, but he forced it to remain quelled. He couldn't scream at his Kazekage. He could not allow the man's words to affect him.

"I have lived my life the way I've _wanted to_. And if Lady Karura is so worried for me, she could talk to me."

"Because it's _so_ easy to talk to you…" Rasa murmured sarcastically, then ghosted over to him with a stern frown on his lips. "Baki, I've a new mission to assign to you."

Immediately Baki straightened up, prepared to do anything it would take to do as he was asked.

"You will never listen to me or my wife. Years of conditioning from my father will not be undone by those that grew up with you… Unfortunately, our time to help has passed…" Lord Rasa's voice drifted off now and his eyes became unfocused, as if he suddenly lost himself.

In no time, though, the man shook himself back into reality, "But there is still time for you to learn. Not by our hands, unfortunately." Lord Rasa's eyes hardened now and he frowned in determination, "Baki, your new mission is to spend a month in the Hidden Leaf Village to get to know your soulmates."

Immediately, Baki opened his mouth to try and fight the sudden mission. But he quickly shut it, reminding himself that he was not to go against his Kazekage.

Lord Rasa's glare was enough to let him know that he _should_ have said something.

"Pack your bags. I know you just got back, but I am not about to allow you to continue slipping from my fingers. And if keeping you alive means losing you, I am ready to say goodbye."

Baki did not miss the irony in the man's thoughts.

"Don't worry over my children's education. I will take on the burden of teaching them for the month you are away."

As he spoke, Lord Rasa walked away and in the direction of his room. But once he was inside, still in Baki's sight, he stopped.

"I will be expecting a full report on the situation of your soulmates by the time you come back."

Baki nodded stiffly, but Lord Rasa didn't see it. He was already closing the door into his room, leaving Baki outside in the cooling night.

..~..~..

Well? What'd you think? Love it? Or hate it? Wanna set the world on fire or douse it with love because of all the rare pairs I continue to come up with? Please review so you can tell me your thoughts.


	2. Chapter 2

Y'all asked for it, so you get a second chapter!

Honestly, my initial plan for this story had been to leave it with an ambiguous ending. But then plot bunnies started biting, so I wound up writing this. I hope you all like it! Please, enjoy~

..~..~..

When he reached the Hidden Leaf, it was to find Kankuro's soulmate waiting for him.

The man looked almost exactly as he had during the Chunin Exams. His skin was a sickly pale that would have been worrying if not for his clearly healthy physical state. His eyes were almost snake-like- cold, calculating, and unbelievably hard.

"Baki of the Sands?"

He nodded mutely and received a nod in return.

"First of all, I am to take you to the Hokage." The man informed him, only to turn around and begin to walk without stopping to make sure that he was actually going to follow, "But, before we go there, would you like to stop to eat or drink anything?" His voice was kind, but there was a harsh edge to it that allowed Baki to know that this was merely common courtesy, not genuine niceness.

Baki followed after him, a small frown on his lips. "I'm fine. I just wish to get this meeting over with as soon as possible."

The Sannin hummed softly and Baki was able to see his head tilt just slightly- a nod.

For the rest of the walk to the Hokage's office, they remained in silence. And when they entered the large building that housed his office, reached the door that led inside, Orochimaru seemed like he was about ready to tell him something. But a harsh scream from inside the Hokage's office cut off anything the man would have said.

"The Spectre of the Sands? _Here?_ Minato, how could you ever think allowing a man as dangerous as him into the Village would be a good idea?!"

"Rasa asked for the favor! How was I supposed to turn him do- Ow! Why must you hurt me so? Aren't you supposed to be my soulmate?!"

"Soulmate or not, you're stupid! This could be a plot to infiltrate the Leaf and destroy us. Did you not even think of the possibility of Baki being here because Suna wants to launch a surprise attack on us?"

"Kushina, Suna is our ally. They would never do- Ah-how! Why must you hate me?!"

Baki felt torn between feeling proud of causing so much terror inside the heart of this Kushina woman and feeling insulted for having her question Suna's loyalties. They had done _nothing_ to make Konoha doubt them. How dare she think they would ever betray their alliance in such a manner? Truly, for her to think this, it must mean that Konoha was a Village not ruled by the honor that dominates in Suna. An ally was an ally and until that ally turned their back on them, Suna would never betray them. Betrayal was _not_ their way. It wouldn't be farfetched to believe, though, that this was _not_ Konoha's way.

"If you would excuse me."

Baki watched on with only minute curiosity. It was interesting to hear all of this, yes, just as it would be interesting to see how this played out. But he would not feel disappointment if he was not able to hear the ending of the argument.

Orochimaru slunk into the office, closed the door behind him, and Baki found himself truly regretting ever having come to Konoha.

The man must have used seals because Baki did not hear a single thing from inside the office after he entered.

A few minutes later Baking could tell that, from the way a red haired woman quickly rushed out of the office without even looking at him and the truly embarrassed look the blonde Hokage had on his face when Baki stepped inside, _some_ screams must have been exchanged even after Orochimaru entered.

"Hello, Baki." The Hokage greeted respectfully, to which the man bowed. "The Kazekage already informed me on your _unique_ situation, so you don't have to tell me anything."

Baki nodded stiffly, both annoyed yet relieved at Lord Rasa having taken manners into his own hands. It was a relief that he wouldn't have to explain himself or his odd situation to the Hokage. But it showed just how little Rasa trusted him in this farce that was officially being called a mission.

"Ibiki is currently dealing with some important issues," _Middle of a tough interrogation_ , Baki mused, "And Anko is currently on an out of Village mission," _Most probably tracking down the allies of whoever Morino is interrogating_ , "So you won't be able to spend time with those two yet. Ibiki should be available by tomorrow night, though, and he's offered to house you for the remainder of your stay."

Baki nodded at the information, but did not say a single thing.

The Hokage faltered for what to say for a couple of seconds, face contorting into a look of such pure worry that Baki could not help but wonder just how this man had become the leader of Konohagakure. Orochimaru stepped forward and saved him from embarrassing himself even further, "I have offered to give you the tour of Konoha and to rest within my own home until Ibiki is free."

 _We don't want you walking around the Village alone, so we decided to have one of our greatest warriors watch after you until the Head of T &I can keep you under his constant watch._

How much he wanted to tell them that he wasn't about to slaughter them all… How much he wanted to let them know that, even though they may think about betraying their allies at all times, Suna was much more _honorable_ than that… But Baki stayed his tongue, for it wasn't his place to possibly piss off two of the most important people that worked in Konohagakure.

Once more, the jounin from Suna nodded without saying a single word.

Orochimaru's smile was soft, barely perceptible. But the ice in his eyes was noticeable from a mile away.

Just what had Kankuro told this man about him to make him hate him so?

~/~

Orochimaru's grand tour of Konoha ended at the training grounds. There, Baki was allowed to see Temari and Gaara's soulmates hanging around with the rest of their little friends.

Both of them looked at him with fear and distrust clear in their eyes as soon as they noticed who he was.

 _Shame_ , these kids were much too incompetent to even know how to look at someone without their targets noticing. Konoha must not have such high standards for shinobi if these were genin that had competed to be promoted to chunin.

"Orochimaru-Sensei! What're you doing here?"

A boy with a furred hood- Inuzuka from the markings on his face- ran up to them with a curious yet dangerous spark in his eyes. Behind him, at a much more sedated pace, two more genin followed. One was an Aburame and the other a Hyuga.

"I was merely giving Baki Sensei the tour of our Village." Orochimaru answered as he motioned to the man, making Baki nod at them in greeting. "This is our final stop."

Once they had reached them, the Inuzuka began to sniff at the air. And in a second, he'd dropped all sort of ease and glared at Baki. "You're that Baki bastard! What the hell are you doing here?"

"Kiba!"

"No, Orochimaru-Sensei! This is the jerk that makes Kankuruo's life miserable! I'm not going to be respectful to him!"

 _Ah._ That explained Orochimaru's almost well hidden contempt for him. Kankuro had already poisoned this group's mind with misconceptions of his actions.

"So Kankuro managed to make friends?" He asked in a slight hum; he didn't care what they thought of him, why would he try and change their opinions of him? "That's good to hear."

The Inuzuka's eyes narrowed in anger. "Why're you such a jerk?!"

There was no reason to answer the genin. This was a kid that had an ego too big for his skills and a mouth that did not know when to stop running. He believed he had a right to speak of things he knew nothing about and Baki really didn't feel like hearing more of him.

It seemed that Orochimaru took the silence for what it was. He spoke up to silence his student before he could say anything else, "Kiba, what have I told you about butting your nose into situations it does not belong in?"

The kid frowned and opened up his mouth to say something.

With one cold glare, the Sannin stopped him short.

"This is not a matter where you are required to get involved. Now," He moved his head just slightly, showing that his words were not directed at the Inuzuka any longer. "Have you done as I asked you?"

The Aburame behind the Inuzuka cleared his throat to be listened to.

"Yes, Sensei. We have all spoken with our respective parents and they have all agreed to the training session you have prepared."

"That is good to hear." Orochimaru answered with a small nod of his head, "We shall be going on that particular trip in about a week. You all have four days to prepare what you will need for our expedition- I will be checking all supplies before we head out to ensure that you have everything you may need."

All three of his students nodded and Orochimaru waved them away to return to their friends.

Baki didn't say a single thing after the genin had left. He just remained quiet, watching and waiting for whatever it was that his guide would choose to do next.

"Let us head to my home. You must be tired from your trip."

 _I have shown you all you are allowed to know of the Village. It is time to keep you locked up until your soulmate is able to take care of you._

With a small nod, Baki allowed himself to be led towards the Snake Sannin's home.

The rest of his first day in Konoha was spent resting and relaxing.

Truly, it was an odd experience to not be doing anything productive for his Village's safety. Even though he was being kept under lock and key to keep from hurting the Village- which was _absurd,_ but Konoha was known for its absurdity, so he didn't mind-, he had to admit that it was somewhat nice to be able to actually get some rest rather than worry over a rowdy team of genin or unstable Village Council.

* * *

It had been while they shared an early morning drink of tea that Ibiki finally decided to grace them with his presence. It was odd, seeing how he had been told that the man would be made available at night. But he did not mind. If Baki was being honest, he was actually grateful for this.

"Ah! Morino! What're you doing here? Joining us for tea?" The insufferable white haired annoyance asked in a much too boisterous voice, all the while his little soulmate rolled her eyes and shook her head at his theatrics.

The stoic interrogator bowed respectfully at the older man, "I am just here to relieve Orochimaru."

Quite frankly, the little tea shop was beautiful. Baki had been accustomed to the sand surrounding his home. He had never been able to see so much green before. Especially not so much green with hints of blues and grays and yellows and other marvelous colors. The only problem with the tea shop they were in at the moment was the fact that Orochimaru's supposed best friend had decided to trample in like a blundering oaf and shatter any semblance of peace.

Fortunately for Baki, the blonde Yamanaka that happened to be his soulmate wasn't nearly as annoying as him. So he only really had to deal with one idiot, rather than two.

"Right, right… Baki's your soulmate, right?" The white haired idiot asked, offering a blinding smile that looked outright stupid on him. "Got any plans for the day?"

"That's none of your business, Jiraiya." Ino huffed with a smack at his shoulder, making the man look over at her. "Leave Baki Sensei alone, why don't you? If I were him, I would have stabbed you in the neck ages ago."

That girl was smart. Kind of like Temari, if Baki was being honest. It was a great reassurance that let Baki know that not all ninja from this Village were completely stupid.

"You're so mean to me."

"Well you're annoying."

Baki decided to ignore them when Jiraiya began to hug his soulmate and beg for her to forgive him.

When he looked over at Ibiki, it was to find the other man's eyes on him. They held almost no harshness within them, but Baki wasn't fooled by this. Ibiki was a master interrogator that knew how to bottle up his emotions. Seeing none in his face or eyes didn't mean that he wasn't feeling anything at all.

Even though he didn't show it in his face, Baki was sure that there was some kind of pain within the guy. There was no way that he wouldn't have felt anything after he had gotten rejected by one of his soulmates.

They stared at each other, sizing one another up in silence, until Orochimaru cleared his throat.

"I shall be taking my leave now." He announced as he stood up, offering them all a cool glance, "I hope you have a great stay in the Village, Baki. If ever you need my assistance, do not hesitate to find me."

The man nodded stiffly, more than sure that he would _not_ be looking for Orochimaru if anything happened to him within the Village Gates.

After a couple of words exchanged with Jiraya and Ino, the Snake-Sannin finally took his leave.

Ibiki waited a couple of seconds before he slid into the chair Orochimaru had previously used. They remained in silence, uncomfortable and tense, until Ino decided that it was about time she and her soulmate also took their leave.

Jiraiya, like an idiot, asked out loud what was wrong and why they had to leave so suddenly. The blonde kunoichi merely shook her head and forced him away from the tea shop, offering a respectful apology to Baki because of her soulmate being so dense.

Once they were left completely alone, Baki heard Ibiki sigh softly.

"I just want you to know that we had nothing to do with you being forced to stay with us. Neither Anko or I asked for you to be assigned to our Village."

Baki glanced sideway at him with his right eyebrow quirked.

"Why would you think I would assume you two had anything to do with this?"

Baki _knew_ that his Kage had sent him on this farce of a mission to be able to get to know his soulmates. It was kind of difficult for him to ignore the true intention of this trip, really. Lord Rasa had just about screamed it in his face not more than a week ago.

Ibiki frowned softly, "Because you were suddenly forced to journey to Konoha and stay with us for a whole month. People tend to assume things. I had thought you would assume Anko or I had played a hand in having you forced to come here."

"Nothing of the like." Baki crossed his arms over his chest and turned his gaze towards the waterfall on the horizon. "It was the Kazekage's idea to send me here, after all. Were you not made aware of the fact that it was my own Kage to assign me to stay with you?"

He didn't turn to look at Ibiki. Instead he kept his gaze on the steady stream that fell over the edge of the waterfall.

Being a desert native had left him depraved of the kind of beauty only the ecosystem that made up a forest could offer. If he was going to be stuck in Konoha for the rest of the month because his Lord couldn't get over his nature, then he may as well enjoy sights he would not be able to see anywhere near his home.

"We were just told that you would be staying with Anko and me for a month. Lord Minato instructed us to keep you safe and to not shy away from…" The scarred interrogator cleared his throat, causing Baki to turn to him in curiosity. He found the other man's face to have reddened marginally, a soft dust of pink peppering his cheeks. "From… Well…"

"From making a real relationship with me?" Baki asked, which made Ibiki clear his throat once more and force his gaze forward to not have to look him in the eyes. "It seems that the Kazekage spoke with your Hokage to be able to plan this all out…"

Lord Rasa was a damned fool if he actually expected Baki to want to form anything with two interrogators from the Leaf. But he had been ordered to get to know his soulmates- he even expected a report! And Baki was nothing if not successful whenever he was given a mission.

Just like every other mission he had been given, he would fulfill this one to the fullest extent he possibly could. He may not like it, but he would not allow himself to fail just because he was not a fan of what had happened or what he was being forced to do.

Once more they fell into silence. Then Ibiki cleared his throat once more and stood up. His movements were stiff and tense, clear signs as to how uncomfortable he truly felt. "Let's go and move your things into my apartment."

Baki stood up as well, "My things are in Orochimaru's house."

Because Ibiki was supposed to have arrived at night, neither of them had bothered with thinking that he might be made available any sooner. So he had left his things at the Sannin's house to not have to lug them around throughout the Village once again.

Ibiki nodded, thrust his hands into his coat's pockets, and began to walk away from their table, "We'll go and get them later, then. I'm sure Orochimaru will be available in a few hours."

Baki nodded stiffly and began to follow after Ibiki. He was led towards the man's apartment once more. And, once there, he decided to get a better look of the place than when he had first gone there.

If he truly was supposed to be staying for the remainder of the month, then he would be scanning the whole place to make sure that he would be safe during his stay.

His canvassing of the area brought up enough information about the safety within the apartment- there were traps on all the possible openings, caches of weapons in accessible yet very well hidden areas, and possible escape routes were clear yet not obvious- to make him feel like he was somewhat okay to be staying here.

This place was nowhere near as protected as his own home. But he could understand that. Ibiki lived in a larger Village with much more shinobi to protect it. He also lived on the highest floor of his apartment building, which was in itself a rather big strategic advantage. So it made sense that Morino would not feel as if he needed to have as many traps as Baki felt he needed.

But Ibiki had not made as many enemies from all around the world as he had either.

When he came upon a small room that was covered from floor to ceiling with books, Baki decided that he had found his favored room in the whole apartment. But instead of staying within the rather impressive library and looking over all the different texts housed within, he decided to make his way back out into the common area to not seem as if he was trying to avoid Ibiki.

(He was. But that did not mean he had to be obvious about it.)

"What do you do around here to entertain yourself?"

Ibiki stood in the middle of his family room, just as tense as he had been when he'd stood up from the table at the tea shop. He turned to look at Baki with a small frown on his scarred lips and remained quiet for a couple of seconds.

Then, he sighed and admitted, "Honestly? I don't have much free time in my life. Usually Anko is the one to make all of the plans."

This was interesting, but unsurprising. Of the two, Anko had struck Baki as the one with the most free time in her hands. So it would only be obvious that she would be the one more accustomed to planning outings and actually having fun.

With a soft sigh, Baki nodded. Then he jutted his thumb over in the direction where he had just come from, "Would you mind if I were to pick out a book to read?"

"Not at all." Ibiki answered almost immediately.

So Baki made his way back into the library and spent a good ten minutes riffling through the different titles to try and find something that caught his attention.

* * *

The next few days were spent in rather comfortable silence.

At first being alone with Ibiki had been challenging.

As Baki had assumed, Ibiki was just as quiet as him. He wasn't prone to brash impulses and actually thought his every word out before he allowed himself to stick his foot in his mouth; although he did seem to be quieter this time around when compared to when they had first met. But Baki could just attribute that to the fact that he had been rejected by his soulmate and that this fact _must_ have hurt him to some degree.

They built up a rather easy routine around one another, though. And even though Baki wasn't happy to admit it, he didn't totally hate being around the man.

Whenever Ibiki went to work, Baki would be handed off to one of his many friends to be looked after. At first, this annoyed him. But he always understood that he was a more than capable shinobi that could easily damage more than a couple of important sectors of Konoha if he willed it. So he understood that the need to watch him was one of Village safety and not just pure malice on the part of the Village.

Because of this rotating group of friends that accompanied him throughout the week, Baki could safely say that Ibiki had a broader friend group than he ever could have wanted. And that they were all so insane, it only made sense they were shinobi from Konoha.

Of them all, he could safely say that Might Guy was his least favorite. The only one he truly liked was the quiet yet ancient Hatake that had only been around him once. But he had been quiet, only ever asked if he wanted to train, and had proceeded to force him into one of the most intense rounds of sparring Baki had ever taken part in within his life.

It had been exhilarating to fight against the White Fang. Especially because he was not anywhere near as annoying as any of Ibiki's other acquaintances.

The other friends ranged from chunin all the way to fully fledged jounin. Some were funny to be around, like Hagane and Kamizuki, because they served as good comedic relief, even though they were too stupid to be around all the time. Others were much easier to be around, like Sarutobi or the younger Hatake, because they didn't need to fill every silence with unnecessary chatter. But none ever got to be as annoying as that infernal Might Guy.

Mornings were spent eating a quiet breakfast together, while afternoons were spent with one of his watchers. When night fell, Ibiki came back clearly tired and drained, but still forced himself to make dinner for them both.

Said dinner was always delicious, but always ended with Morino passed out on his couch while he and Baki read from different books.

By the time fourth night, Baki grew tired of having to deal with him passing out after cooking. So he took up the duty of cooking dinner for the idiotic interrogator that didn't seem to know how to keep from over exerting himself.

Ibiki had seemed surprised when he returned from work with heavy bags under his eyes. But he'd been grateful and had made a point of making Baki know how much he appreciated the gesture.

Baki merely shook his head and muttered under his breath about stupid Konoha-natives.

How could the interrogator expect for him to live in his apartment and abuse of his kindness without actually giving anything back? He was not some kind of brute that _enjoyed_ abusing of others! And he was more than just knowledgeable and nice enough to be able to cook a good meal and not ask for anything in return.

Still, Baki took on the job of making dinner every night while Ibiki made every breakfast.

It was as Baki made dinner on the second Saturday of his stay in Konoha that his second soulmate made a grand entrance that could only ever be made by someone like her.

"Baki Baby! I've missed you so much! Have you missed me?"

As he stirred the rice he had been making, the jounin from the Sand suddenly found a human sized leach forcing its eager appendages around him. He didn't pull away from the hug he was forced into. Instead he allowed the hyperactive woman to hug him to her heart's desire- might as well allow her some semblance of comfort before he was gone from her life again.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to be here when you first got here. I was on this _huge_ mission that I got sent on! And, have you ever noticed how much Kiri stinks? Like, seriously, fish guts and moldy everything is not the most pleasant of smells."

The woman continued to chatter about how horrible her mission had been without giving any details as to just what she had been doing in Kirigakure. But it wasn't hard for Baki to make a few connections and figure out the barest threads.

As he continued to cook, Anko kept her arms wrapped tightly around her waist. Whenever he moved, she followed. When he had to grab something that was far from him, she would help him out and reach over so he wouldn't have to. And she even begged to taste some of the things he had been making to make sure that the food was edible.

"This is better than Ibiki's food!"

"It's just rice."

"It's so much better than Biki's food!"

Baki sighed softly as he shook his head, but still allowed her to gush over the simple meal she somehow thought was gourmet.

"There really isn't anything out of this world about this-"

"Shut that mouth, Baki Babe! This is delicious and you deserve to be praised for how good this is. Now, how long 'til Biki gets back? Momma's hungry!"

The man glanced over at the clock hung in the very center of the kitchen's wall. "Some five minutes."

He didn't bother to notice how well he had become accustomed to the routine of making dinner for Ibiki whenever he was at work. He refused to think about how truly domestic this whole thing felt.

He was only here for three more weeks. Then he could forget all about the soulmates he had never even wanted to meet.

* * *

His heart was pounding so harshly that he could feel each thump against his whole body. His breathing was erratic, even though he tried his best to keep it under control. And sweat drenched his whole being, sticking his clothes onto his skin in an uncomfortable yet manageable way.

"Thought this old man would be easy to defeat? Reality is a harsh medicine."

No, he had _not_.

But Anko had been eager to see the Spectre of the Sand go up against the White Fang himself. So Baki found himself roped into a convoluted spar that bordered on an actual battle where both he and Sakumo had gotten injured and had drawn blood. Even though they had fought once before and it had been a difficult match, it had not held a single _candle_ to the match they were taking part in now.

Straightening himself up and rolling his shoulders took much more energy and effort than Baki was ready to admit. Forcing his body back into a defensive position was even harder.

He was beaten. He knew he was.

But Anko was cheering loudly somewhere in the distance. And he could feel Ibiki's own chakra signature, alert and worried.

He wasn't sure just why in the world any of that mattered.

He didn't want to be beaten on Konoha's soil. That was all it was. Sakumo had challenged him and he couldn't just let the man wipe the floor with him without giving as he received.

Sakumo Hatake may have been quite a few years older than him, but he was still a true threat in the battlefield. And that wolf of his was an added worry- one capable enemy was bad, _two_ capable enemies was just looking for trouble.

Drawing his sword was second nature. He winced, though, seeing how he had jarred his shoulder upon impacting against the ground when Sakumo managed to catch him unaware in a grapple that would have promised a life-threatening stab wound under much more circumstances.

The glint of appreciation in Sakumo's eyes was enough to let him know that even Konoha-born idiots could tell good craft when they saw it.

"I'm just getting started."

"That's my Baki!"

His heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. But the man merely attributed that to the dangerous smirk that wormed its way onto the Hatake's lips.

"Always full of surprises."

And he struck.

~/~

"I can't believe it was a draw."

Baki could hear the pout in Anko's voice even though he was not able to see it.

Sakumo let out a breathless laugh from somewhere in his right, though, so he was at least sure that the man had not been killed by the sudden attack that had caught them both unaware.

They _may_ have gotten a bit out of hand during their spar.

But the training ground still looked mostly okay… There was a pretty big crater in the middle with blood inside of it, but, aside from that, everything was okay.

"Kakashi! How could you allow your father to do such a thing?"

If he had not been thoroughly exhausted, Baki would have raised his head to try and find a face for the new voice that had arrived.

The people watching their match had been Anko, Ibiki, the young Hatake, and Hagane. The only one that had not been cheering for either fighter had been Ibiki, seeing how Anko had rooted for Baki while the other two had wanted to see the older male win.

"Mah, Mah, Dai, you're-"

"How could you allow him into such a fight without looking for me? I am always eager to see my husband in battle! Even more so if I am able to take part in the contest!"

"That's my Dai…" He heard Sakumo whisper beside him.

After a couple more seconds of breathing erratically, Baki was able to compose himself and finally open his eyes.

The first thing he noticed was the clear blue sky above them. A sky which, before the match, he had not been able to see.

… Okay, maybe the spar had been a bit more explosive than he had previously thought.

The next thing he noticed was the large shadow looming over him, covering up a large part of the bright blue sky.

Finally he noticed the gloved hand that hung over him. And after a couple of seconds of blinking dumbly at it, he finally connected the dots and figured out that it was being held out to him.

He clasped his own hand with it, then found himself being hauled upwards and into a solid, somewhat taller body than his own.

Anko was flitting around him in less than a heartbeat.

"Oh my God, Baki, you were amazing! That was so beautiful! You had him on the ropes the whole match, Baki Babe! Sakumo played dirty, so you didn't win! But you totally would have!"

Baki breathed out heavily and closed his eyes, allowing himself to rest for a couple of seconds.

No, he would not have beaten Sakumo. The woman was deranged so she wasn't able to see reality correctly. The Hatake had held the upper hand throughout the whole match. But Baki had been able to keep him on his toes; and, really, when against an opponent like him, that was something he could be proud of.

When he finally opened up his eyes once more, it was to find Anko grinning like a madwoman and Ibiki looking down at him with slight worry clear in his eyes.

A couple of feet away from them he was able to see a newcomer- who looked almost terrifyingly similar to the annoyance that was Might Guy- hugging Sakumo proudly.

The large Hatake had his arms wrapped tightly around the shorter man, even though he was leaning heavily against him. Clearly the match had taken just about everything from him too and he was looking for stability resting on the green clad man.

The young Hatake had his eyes closed and his arms crossed over his chest, even though Hagane was laughing loudly and proudly at some bad joke he had undoubtedly made.

"I'm fine, love. You don't have to worry about me."

Baki's blood ran cold as soon as he heard that from Sakumo.

"I'm not worried! I'm so proud!" The man with the salt and pepper hair beamed up at him, thick mustache seeming to curl up to accompany the smile. "My soulmate is just as young and dangerous on the battlefield as the day we met! The fire of youth still burns within us!"

Those two were soulmates.

 _That_ was why they were leaning on each other.

Frowning down at himself, Baki finally _noticed_ he was leaning on Ibiki in a similar manner. And Anko's hands were strong and steady on his waist, offering extra support in case he managed to topple backwards.

Hurriedly, he forced his aching muscles to move away. He forced his legs to take two steps away from either of them, then crossed his arms over his chest and looked away from the hurt looks Ibiki and Anko's faces would begin to sport.

"I hope the show was worth it." He cleared his throat as he tensed his whole body to try and keep it from collapsing on him. "I'll return to the apartment now."

He kept his gaze on the charred and ruined ground beneath him. He refused to look at anybody that was around him. He couldn't.

What in the world had he been thinking?

He was a weapon. He didn't allow himself to feel tired. And he sure as hell didn't lean on others for strength. He had more than enough himself.

"Yeah, okay… Let's go home, Ibiki."

No. Not home. Not for him.

That was _their home_. Not his. His home was Suna. And he would be returning to his home in two weeks.

He just had to survive those two weeks. Then everything would be the same again. No more soulmates. No more Konoha idiots. No more extreme shows of annoying emotions.

(No more Ibiki-cooked breakfasts. No more boisterous story telling from Anko. No more dinner with them. No more training with Hatake. No more watching Kamizuki and Hagane's pranks fail.)

Just two more weeks.

* * *

Kankuro and Sasori Sensei's arrival was a surprise.

Baki had received no notice that he would be visited by either male. Nor had he been told that he would have to have a report written and ready for delivery when they arrived. So when they arrived at his doorstep with express instructions written in a scroll for him, he was _not_ a happy man.

"Where're your soulmates?"

Baki glared down at the overly eager Kankuro that began to make his way around Ibiki's apartment without permission. But he allowed the genin to explore the new surroundings for a moment as he read over the scroll that was thrust in his face by his teacher without a word of hello.

"Kankuro, come back here."

"But I wanna explore!"

"This is not your home and you will return unless you wish to make me angry."

Sasori Sensei always spoke in a harsh whisper. One had to really work in annoying him to make him raise his voice. But his harsh whisper had varying degrees of annoyance and irritation that were clear to hear. And once he hit a certain harsh inflection, Baki knew it was only a matter of seconds before he stabbed someone with a kunai laced with a horrible poison.

As Kankuro began to bicker with his surrogate teacher, Baki rolled upon the scroll he had been given by his old teacher and began to read it.

He moved out of the way so Sasori Sensei could enter. And he walked over to the couch so he could sit down while he read.

As he walked, he could hear Kankuro whining about wanting to explore while Sasori shushed and threatened him.

 _'Dear Baki, I hope you're having a good time in Konoha. I also hope that you are getting along with your soulmates._

 _My initial plans had been to allow you loose for the whole month and to hear a full report of everything that happened when you returned to Sunagakure. But after some time spent thinking, I have decided that this would not be a good idea. Sasori Sensei and Kankuro have been sent to Konoha to give you this letter and to bring back what I will ask you to write._

 _What I want you to write is that report I wanted you to give me. I want it to detail everything that has happened within these past two weeks and I want you to tell me everything you have felt about your soulmates. Depending on what you send me is the course of action I will take once your month is up._

 _Also, if you get the chance, have Kankuro meet with his soulmate before he leaves. He's been doing excellent work recently and deserves a chance to see him.'_

The puppeteer's bickering was forced into the back of his head as anger began to surge up within him.

His Kazekage… Didn't trust him.

He was thinking of forcing him to stay in Konoha for more than a month.

… He wasn't a useful weapon anymore. That was the only explanation for Lord Rasa to be doing this to him. Emotions didn't matter in the life of a shinobi! Soulmates were created to ease the burden of a harsh life- they weren't the only thing that mattered! And Rasa was too much of a coward to admit that he didn't want to deal with him anymore!

For the first time in a _very long time_ , tears stung at his eyes.

Baki frowned and looked over at Sasori Sensei. The red headed man was leaning coolly against the wall that led into the living area. Even though he seemed relax, his eyes were alert and awake, keeping watch over the young puppeteer he had brought along.

Kankuro was currently looking over the books that had been left out by Anko and Ibiki so they could continue reading them tonight. But Baki didn't pay much attention to him.

His jaw was so tight he wasn't sure if he could even try and open his mouth. His fists were clutching the parchment within them so tightly he was sure that if he didn't let go, it would tear apart.

He had failed.

There was no way around it.

He wasn't sure how or when, but there was no other way to explain Rasa's sudden insistence in keeping him away from active duty and from his own home.

 _He had failed_.

"Finished reading?"

There was a knot in his throat.

He was so unaccustomed to the sensation that he didn't dare open his mouth. Instead he nodded stiffly, which received a small grunt in return from his teacher.

"We'll be here for two more days. That should give you more than enough time to write up a report."

He didn't answer the man.

He just kept clutching at the paper, anger mounting with every second that passed.

He had failed. And Rasa was too much of a coward to even tell him.

* * *

"Why won't you let us in?"

Baki frowned at Anko's question. He glared down at her, suddenly bothered by the fact that he had not been bothered by her head suddenly making its way onto his lap.

Her own brown eyes gazed up at him with unbridled curiosity. There was an edge of hurt to those eyes too, but Baki refused to pay any mind to this.

"What in the world are you talking about?"

Her lips pursed together for a moment, then she moved her arm up to pull down the book he had been reading from. Effectively she took away the only thing he could have used to fully ignore the conversation she clearly wanted to have.

"You've been here for a while now. I don't know anything about you."

"Of course you know-"

"I just know that you're a great cook and that you refuse to let me in!" She suddenly shouted, getting up so her hands were on his shoulders and her thighs were on either side of his waist, straddling him.

Baki had never been caught in a situation like this. So his hands remained frozen on the couch cushions to either of his side, making a point of staying away from Anko's body.

He wasn't a virgin. He'd gone on a couple of honey-pot missions in his youth. So, in essence, he _had_ found himself with a woman straddling his lap before. But those times, the woman had usually been asking for something much easier to give.

He wasn't in the mood to deal with Anko, though.

"I'm sorry I haven't fulfilled any of the childhood dreams you had about your soulmate." He replied through tightly clenched teeth.

After Sasori Sensei and Kankuro had arrived, he had found himself to be in one of the worst moods he had ever experienced in his life. He had not even felt like making dinner, which had before helped to make him feel as if he could still be marginally useful.

What did being useful even mean, though? What it did it matter if he couldn't even be a proper weapon for his Village? What did it even matter if he couldn't keep just _one_ person pleased with his work?

"What? Baki, that's not-" Anko stopped herself suddenly, frowning heavily as she narrowed her eyes even further to scrutinize him. "Something's _really_ wrong with you."

"Nothing is wrong." He hissed out, then turned his head to the left and away from her. "Please get off of me."

"No."

"No?"

"Mm-mm." Her arms wound their way around his neck and squeezed, making a whole show of staying put. "I'm staying right here until you talk to me."

He didn't talk.

What was he supposed to tell her? That he was a worthless human that couldn't even be a proper weapon? That he was being kept away from his Village because his own Kage didn't want to tell him how truly useless he was? That the only thing he had ever done right in his life- the only thing he'd ever been good at… He'd failed at doing?

He kept his head turned to the left and his hands on the couch.

Eventually Anko laid her head down on his shoulder and her arms loosened a tiny bit, even though she refused to let go of him completely.

"I know you don't want to have soulmates, Baki."

His eyes narrowed as she began to speak once more, but he didn't stop her.

Let her tire herself out. Eventually she would understand that he was not the kind to try and speak with. Eventually she would be able to see that he wasn't worth all of this effort.

He was just a useless weapon. A dull blade. An unbalanced kunai. _Useless_.

"But I accepted you as my soulmate on the day we met. Even though you can't feel what I feel, I feel what you feel… I know you're hurt. I know you're in pain. And I know you want to let it all out."

Each word she said forced anger back into his mostly cooled heart. Every single thing she said made him remember how hurt he had been when he'd read the letter; how much it had hurt to make it seem as if nothing affected him.

"Please, Baki, just-"

"Let. Me. _Go_."

Her sudden silence let him know that she heard him.

Her body refused to move, though. _Stubborn fool_.

"No."

Baki refused to look at her.

A door opened and heavy footsteps echoed across the quiet room. Ibiki cleared his throat and Anko raised her head to look at him, but Baki made a point to keep from looking at him.

"Anko. What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to get him to talk to me! I'm tired of this ignoring game, Biki!"

Baki heard the man sigh and his steps start up again. In a couple of seconds he was standing behind Anko, freshly bathed and clad in a comfortable and soft set of bunny pajamas.

Clearly, Anko had gifted them. And Baki felt a pang in his heart because he'd never received a stupid gift he'd ever loved enough to actually use, no matter how silly it was.

What in the world was wrong with him? _This_ wasn't him.

"I want him to talk to me too, Anko."

The woman stubbornly nestled her head into Baki's shoulder, grip on him tightening once again.

Ibiki sighed and Baki heard the couch squeak beneath his weight as he settled in beside the woman.

"But you can't force someone to talk. You're an interrogator. You know that the best information is given when someone wants to give it. Information gained under duress is useless." Ibiki whispered into the woman's ear, but Baki was able to feel some of his breath on his skin.

Anko's own face pricked at his skin in a way he'd never felt before.

Breathing in, Baki raised his hands to place them on the woman's hips. Then he pushed at her, trying to make a point of not wanting her on him.

Much to his surprise, she actually allowed him to push her away.

He pushed her into Ibiki's arms and hastily stood up. He said nothing as he began to make his way outside of the man's apartment, not bothering to tell them a single thing as he dashed out.

What was he even supposed to tell them?

He didn't understand just what in the world they saw in him. And he never would be able to understand.

He was just a weapon.

* * *

Wandering around Konoha did nothing to help clear his mind. It only allowed him to see dozens of different soulmates together, enjoying their time with much too happy smiles on their stupid little faces.

Baki had never been bothered by soulmates before.

Why was he annoyed by seeing them together now?

He stormed around Konoha for what felt like hours. From Ibiki's apartment he managed to make his way towards the training grounds. From there he somehow found himself in the Academy. And, finally, he found himself on top of the Hokage Heads, glaring up at the night sky.

Tears welled up in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall.

He was a weapon. He was emotionless. He wasn't bothered by trivial things.

Training.

That's what he needed. He needed to get stronger to become the weapon he had once been. He'd allowed his edge to dull. But he was sure that once he regained that edge, he would return to his Kage's good graces once more.

He heard leaves crunching behind him. The chakra level behind him was high, almost scarily so. But he knew that signature. So he wasn't bothered enough to even turn around.

"You were never the kind to contemplate a night sky."

Sasori Sensei walked until he was standing beside him. Baki remained quiet, though, unsure of what he was supposed to tell the man. So he just opted to say nothing.

He did a lot… Remained quiet… Was that bad?

"You know, I met my soulmate today."

Baki quirked an eyebrow over at the shorter man, silently prodding him to continue.

For once, Sasori Sensei did not remain cryptically quiet.

"An Academy teacher by the name of Genma Shiranui- he's not anything too amazing. But he is beautiful. His grace is like something from my dreams- it's as if he moves with the wind."

Sasori Sensei then continued to describe the beauty of his soulmate.

Baki stood there, listening to every detail the man was able to give him. He was stunned, truly taken aback by the fondness that coated his old teacher's every word.

When he had finished speaking, the man found themselves drenched in silence.

Then, softly, as if afraid to shatter their peace, Baki asked, "Why are you telling me this?"

The older male remained quiet for a couple of seconds, clearly thinking about his answer. "I have no idea. I have never felt such a connection with another human being before. Never before have I wished to relax and just _talk_ with someone. Never before have I thought I could ever feel safe among someone that wasn't a close comrade of mine… Yet I feel that way when I am around him… Do you not feel that way around your own soulmates?"

Of course he did.

He was just too stubborn to say it out loud.

"Young Kankuro is making plans to move into Orochimaru's home as soon as he is promoted to chunin. Temari is currently working on convincing her own soulmate to move to Suna once he is willing. And Gaara is starting up correspondence with his little flower."

Baki found his hands tightening into fists once again.

Did every single thing in the world have to revolve around someone's soulmate?

"I myself am not sure how I should proceed with my own soulmate. He is relaxed and kind, yet overwhelmingly loyal to his Village. I do not think he would be willing to go back to Suna with me."

This was literally the most he had ever heard his old teacher say. But instead of feeling honored for such a show in trust, he merely felt disgusted.

"I would be willing to come to Konoha if it was required of me… Are you willing to do what is necessary to be with the ones you love?"

Baki wanted to growl at him that he loved no one. But he couldn't find the words to say such a lie.

"You were always a good soldier, Baki. You were an even greater weapon. But you deserve something good in your life. Do not deprive yourself of your soulmates."

With these final words, his old teacher began to make his way back to wherever he had come from, leaving Baki all alone once more.

He didn't move from his spot.

Not even when it began to rain did he move away from the Hokage Monument.

 _Do not deprive yourself of your soulmates_.

… What if he already had? What if they never wanted to see him ever again?

He was a fool.

~/~

When he returned to Ibiki's apartment, he fully expected to find his things packed up and to be kicked out for his insolence.

Instead he found Anko wrapping around him yet again, grip somehow even tighter than the last times she had grabbed him suddenly.

"I was so worried! I thought you were gone for good, Baki!"

She went on to whisper all sorts of saddened nonsense into his neck, but Baki didn't focus on them. Instead he focused on the fact that she had worried over him. He chose to acknowledge how she had been worried enough to jump him as soon as he returned. And he chose to finally see how much he actually enjoyed the feel of her body around his.

When Ibiki appeared from recesses of his apartment, Baki was able to see even heavier bags beneath his eyes than what he had become accustomed to. And he immediately knew it had been his fault.

He allowed himself to frown softly at the man, for once showing a semblance of vulnerability on purpose while around these two.

"I'm sorry."

Anko's chatter cut off suddenly.

Ibiki's eyes widened in disbelief.

And Baki tried to fight off the red that wanted to overcome his face.

"Oh Baki, you've got nothing to be sorry about! I was the insensitive jerk! Please, I'm sorry!"

If Anko's grip on him got any tighter, he would not be able to breathe.

Baki didn't really care about that.

He allowed his arms to finally return Anko's hug. And he closed his eyes, allowing himself to enjoy the warmth that radiated from her body.

When Ibiki's own arms wrapped around them both, he didn't fight the other man's affections off. Instead he leaned into his sturdy chest, suddenly feeling much more relaxed than he had been in a while.

He had two weeks to go before he was told by his Kage just what kind of decision he would make for him. He was sure that he could try and make something real with his soulmates within those two weeks.

Anko and Ibiki were willing.

It was about time he was too.

..~..~..

Please review and tell me what you thought about this chapter!


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